"The next best thing to knowing something is knowing where to find it”-Samuel Johnson

With a sincere hope that readers everywhere, all over the world, will discover “simplicity, patience and compassion” in all they read

In an age of tech acceleration and the need to consume as much information as quickly as possible, “Slow Reading Sunday” is our journey back to wisdom. I believe in the wise words and sentiments of Mahatma Gandhi, when, well before the digital age of high-speed communication, just-in-time deliveries, social media and twittering, warned us against the pitfalls of living full throttle when he said, "there is more to life than increasing its speed".

On this beautiful Sunday, the day of reflection, contemplation and reconnection, I wish to offer the following to you to begin your “Slow Reading Sunday” journey. They are the latest pieces from my “Wisdom Corner” where I store the many gems I have discovered in my life journey from the wisdom of others. They have opened new horizons in my life. Their wisdom has nourished and nurtured my personal and professional development. For that I am for ever grateful to them.

In sharing the wisdom of others with you, I am only a story teller, saying it all simply and slowly. Today, our global family is facing a multitude of enduring and potentially catastrophic crises. For me, the answers lie in simplicity. There is no need to complicate matters further. After all, in the wise words of Leonardo da Vinci, “Simplicity is the ultimate sophistication.”

Here, by sharing their wisdom with you, I hope they will do the same for you.

Enjoy your Sunday: A day when we engage with our family, friends and local community. A day we reject fast food and like the olden days prepare and make food for the whole family, all eating together, celebrating our love for each other. A day we take part in simple actions that symbolise a rejection of commercialism, a passion for the planet and a desire for change. A day we read slowly and absorb the received wisdom deeply.

What follows are a sample of my offerings and stories:

Slow Reading Sunday 22 May 2016

Photo: madailylife.com

The Tragedy of Youth Depression:

Children searching for hope

“A different world cannot be built by indifferent people.”

"One in 12UKteenagers self-harms and one in 10 is clinically depressed. Between 2010 and 2014, the number of girls aged between 10 and 14 admitted to hospital for self-harming inEnglandincreased by 93%. The statistics support my own observations, as a clinical psychologist treating young people for mental health conditions, that this is a problem on the increase. When I look at the world through their eyes, I see levels of competition and performance anxiety unknown to my generation. Outside school, our body-obsessed, share everything culture subjects them to new forms of scrutiny. Who’s got the most “followers”? Whose selfie or video got the most likes? Body-shaming,cyberbullyingandsextingcan happen to them on their mobiles wherever they might be, robbing them of a place of safety.”…

Khan’s pitch “is that his story is (or should be) London’s story. In this, it is the good fortune of the council estate kid to find himself up against a billionaire’s son and former non-dom. “The contrast between Zac’s life story and Sadiq’s is very striking if you are a non-political person in London,” says Jim Fitzpatrick, a former chair of the London Labour party and the highly experienced MP for Poplar and Limehouse. “Sadiq’s life as a bus driver’s son from a council estate made good is much more appealing and attractive and chimes with the experience of ordinary Londoners. I think it gives him a head-start.”

Surveys show that most young adults believe that obtaining wealth and fame are keys to a happy life. But a long-running study out of Harvard suggests that one of the most important predictors of whether you age well and live a long and happy life is not the amount of money you amass or notoriety you receive. A much more important barometer of long term health and well-being is the strength of your relationships with family, friends and spouses…

Have you ever thought about your body as a little piece of planet Earth? If you think about it for a minute, about what your body is made of and what keeps it alive, it’s kind of amazing.

Your entire body is made of Earth stuff- every single molecule and atom. And where do those atoms come from? From the Earth’s biosphere, from the other life forms doing their life processes, from the trees and plants converting Earth elements into forms we can live on. Food, water and air keep your body alive; the air you breathe, the food you eat and the water you drink become your flesh and blood.

"Though we may keep a little quiet about this, especially when we’re young, we tend deep down to be rather hopeful that we will – eventually – manage to find perfection in a number of areas. We dream of one day securing an ideally harmonious relationship, deeply fulfilling work, a happy family life and the respect of others. But life has a habit of dealing us a range of blows – and leaving nothing much of this array of fine dreams save some shattered and worthless fragments."...

“Inner peace is the most valuable thing that we can cultivate. Nobody can give us inner peace; at the same time it is only our own thoughts that can rob us of our inner peace. To experience inner peace we don’t have to retreat to a Himalayan cave; we can experience inner peace right now, exactly where we are. The most important criteria is to value the importance of inner peace. If we really value inner peace, we will work hard to make it a reality.

These are some suggestions for bringing more peace into your mind."...

As I was reflecting on my New Year message for 2016, I came across a most beautiful and relevant quote from Confucius: “Better to Light a small Candle than to curse the darkness.”

There and then I was captured by the beauty, elegance, and meaningfulness of this inspirational quote and decided that it should become the central focus of my message. This quote reaffirms my long held view that through our love and zest for life and our natural desire to be good, and to lead a good life, we can always do something positive no matter what circumstance we find ourselves in.

We are the leaders we have all been searching for: This is what Simorgh says

Simorgh: 30 Birds

‘In the famous epic Persian poem "Conference of the Birds," the birds of the world gather to decide who is to be their king. The hoopoe, the wisest of them all, suggests that they should find the legendary Simorgh, a mythical Persian bird. The hoopoe leads the birds, each of whom represent a human fault which prevents man from attaining enlightenment. When the group of thirty birds finally reach the dwelling place of the Simorgh, all they find is a lake in which they see their own reflection. They realize that they were the Simorgh (which in Persian literally means "thirty birds") all along. The leader they sought was each and every one of them.’

‘Hundreds of birds embark on a perilous journey across seven treacherous valleys in search of a king who can right the wrongs in their world. They are led by the poet Attar, who has been transformed into a sharp-beaked, crested hoopoe. The troubles that spur them into flight — "Anarchy — discontent — upheaval! Desperate fights over territory, water, and food! Poisoned air! Unhappiness!" — are of course all too familiar in our world.’

“The international political response to climate change began at the Rio Earth Summit in 1992, where the ‘Rio Convention’ included the adoption of the UN Framework on Climate Change (UNFCCC). This convention set out a framework for action aimed at stabilising atmospheric concentrations of greenhouse gases (GHGs) to avoid “dangerous anthropogenic interference with the climate system.” The UNFCCC which entered into force on 21 March 1994, now has a near-universal membership of 195 parties.

The main objective of the annual Conference of Parties (COP) is to review the Convention’s implementation. The first COP took place in Berlin in 1995 and significant meetings since then have included COP3 where the Kyoto Protocol was adopted, COP11 where the Montreal Action Plan was produced, COP15 in Copenhagen where an agreement to success Kyoto Protocol was unfortunately not realised and COP17 in Durban where the Green Climate Fund was created.

In 2015 COP21, also known as the 2015 Paris Climate Conference, will, for the first time in over 20 years of UN negotiations, aim to achieve a legally binding and universal agreement on climate, with the aim of keeping global warming below 2°C.

France will play a leading international role in hosting this seminal conference, and COP21 will be one of the largest international conferences ever held in the country. The conference is expected to attract close to 50,000 participants including 25,000 official delegates from government, intergovernmental organisations, UN agencies, NGOs and civil society.”

Now, the Big Question surely must be: What the Nature itself has to say about the Paris Climate Summit? Who is the Wisest? Who is the Best Teacher?

Is it all about “Likes” and “Dislikes”? The Impact of Social Media on Our Lives

Photo: gograph.com

Does social media do more good or harm? Have you ever thought of its consequences? How much time do you spend on social media every day? Are you liked or disliked? How many followers you have? How many are you following? How many virtual friends you have? How much time do you spend with your real friends or relatives? Are you lonely and bored, whilst surfing the net chatting with virtual people? Are you any wiser, or have you made anybody wiser and better after all these years of social media? You are not sure?

Have you heard about Ms. Essena O'Neill, who came out only the other day, revealing it all about the social media?